A Featured Image is a WordPress feature for theme developers to support using a representative image in different ways, such as for posts, pages, or custom post types.
Theme creators can insert a featured image into their themes by adding a simple snippet into its functions.php file. Alternatively, they can configure how to handle image uploads via WordPress. They can style them, choose thumbnail sizes, and turn their display ON or OFF.
Why use a Featured Image?
Featured images are a crucial WordPress feature that can benefit any blog owner. Adding a WordPress featured image to each article or post helps visually characterize content for your readers. It can play a vital role in your branding strategy.
While adding features images in WP is easy, remember the following tips:
- Use free stock photos or Creative Commons-licensed pictures.
- Keep the style of your featured images consistent.
- Optimize each featured image before uploading it so that it won’t slow down your site.
When to use a Featured Image?
Featured images are often used in WordPress photography theme layouts. Another use case is WP news and entertainment sites, where a thumbnail is attached to each front-page article. Also, featured images have become a norm for bloggers, and reading a blog post without one seems odd.
